Find out what other moms-to-be are asking. Join in the discussion with Henci Goer, whose expertise is determining what the research tells us best promotes safe, healthy birth. If you would like to contact Henci outside of the Ask Henci forum, send an email to Goersitemail@aol.com.

It's not something I'm up on, but here
is a link to a website with a good, general explanation of the
issues. What it lacks, however, is any discussion of whether there
are any negative aspects to RhoGam treatment.

My go-to website for reliable health information is MedLine
Plus, the consumer health website run by the U.S. government. When
I searched it using the terms "Rh incompatibility" it came up with
this. I didn't check out the links, but I would predict
that they will have the same drawback as in my
original response, namely that there is no info on
adverse effects. The standard for making an informed decision
is to have both. Still, I have never heard or read anywhere that
Rhogam has had adverse effects, and I think it would have
stuck in my mind if I had. ﻿

As I understand it, Rhogam works by diminishing the
mother's immune response and
therefore preventing her body from producing antibodies
to the foreign blood antigen. Considering this, there must
be a consequence of routinely using the drug. Maybe the
negative effects are minute or do not have clinical significance,
but I am still weary of it's use during a normal pregnancy when the
chances of the maternal and fetal blood mixing are extremely
small.

Well, as I wrote, it isn't a topic I've ever researched. If you
want to give it a try, here is the gateway to
PubMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine. If you find anything
to the point, that would be great.

~ Henci

All Times America/New_York

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